Kingdom Hearts: A New World, A New Way

by gfr091702

Books

Chapter 7: Books

(Play Kingdom Hearts II Lazy Afternoons)

A few days have passed since the group learned of Moebius’s true intentions. While they wanted to head to the City right away, they couldn't; not without proper training to fight. For the past few days, Sora started to train Twilight with offensive to defensive basics with her Keyblade, while Gene and Belle practiced in their Ouroboros form, to get more familiar with their powers. By the time it became noon, the alicorn was exhausted. Her jaw cramped up from holding her Keyblade for so long, and her neck hurt from twisting it around to strike or block Sora's attacks.

"Can we... call it a day?" Twilight panted, dropping her weapon as it then vanished.

"Yeah," The boy replied, "I think we made some good progress." The alicorn groaned in relief and fell over, unable to stay standing for much longer, while Sora gave him a glass of lemonade.

As she took a sip, Rainbow Dash was the last to arrive, though she seemed really distracted by something for the past couple days.

"Finally decided to show up, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked after taking a sip from her lemonade.

"What the heck is going on?" Rainbow asked, having no clue what was going on.

“Uh, training, what does it look like we’re doing?” Sora said, stating the obvious.

"How come I wasn't invited!? I wouldn't want to miss watching it!"

"We did tell you and you were invited, but you seemed a mite too busy reading' the last Daring' Do book for the twelfth time," Applejack reminded in annoyance.

"Well, in another three months and twenty-six days, the next book in the series will come out, and I'll read that several more times!" Hearing the title of the book, she pulled out one of the books from the series and looked at the cover.

Sora stared at the first book in the series, 'Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone'. The illustration on the cover showed a light gold pegasus mare, her mane striped several shades of gray, wearing a pith helmet and a green shirt made for exploration through thick jungles, her cutie mark a compass. Sora looked up from the book at Rainbow Dash, then back at the mare known as Daring Do, finding it odd to see these two looked alike aside from their coat and mane colors and cutie marks. Either this was the author's intended description of the excavating pegasus, or it was a strange coincidence.

"Actually, Rainbow, you're going to have to wait a while longer," Twilight said. "The author, A. K. Yearling, pushed the publication of her next book by another two months."

"What!? No!" Rainbow cried out in disappointment, slumping to the ground in disbelief. "I can't wait any more months! I've waited enough! And how do you even know about that!? I'm her biggest fan!"

"I'm just as much of a fan as you!" Twilight argued. "Did you forget who introduced you to reading those books, or any books at all?"

"...Oh. Right." Rainbow chuckled sheepishly, completely forgetting she started reading the series after injuring her wing and forced to sit in the hospital for a while.

"Besides, A. K. Yearling is my favorite author when it comes to fictional adventure novels," Twilight continued. "I know everything about her: where she grew up, where she studied literature, where she wrote the first book in the Daring Do series-"

Rainbow perked her head up, hearing her alicorn friend knowing everything about A. K. Yearling, or anything. "Where she lives?"

"...Uhh, no, but I can find out. Why?" she asked.

"Are you serious!?" Rainbow exclaimed, flying up in Twilight's face. "She must be having problems where she lives and so many distractions that's making her delay the book! If we can do all her chores, cook her meals, do her laundry, whatever she needs, A. K. Yearling can continue writing so I-uhh, I mean fans like us, can read the next book ASAP!"

The Ouroboros flung the book Rainbow Dash held with its powers at the pegasus, smacking her in the back of the head. "Rainbow Dash, that is not how it works," Belle's voice scolded, as the Ouroboros separated and the Gardevoir approaced the mare with a stern gaze as she held the first book of the Daring Do series in front of her. "Art takes time and patience in order to make. You can't rush what the creator calls perfection, and doing favors for someone and invading their privacy like a little fangirl wanting a thousand autographs will only cause more distractions."

"But-" Another smack in the head, silencing Rainbow of any reasoning or complaints she was about to say.

"If you want to read it, you're going to have to wait just like everyone else. If you're that impatient, there's plenty of other adventure novels you can read until then."

"...W-Well...I only like the Daring Do books," she meekly said, scuffing her hoof against the ground.

"You only read one series?" Sora questioned. "...Is this series the only type of book you've read?" Rainbow nodded her head in embarrassment. "...Why?"

"...I thought that...reading was for eggheads..." the pegasus uttered.

"...seriously?" Sora said from the pegasuses statement.

"...Soooo...can we find out where A. K. Yearling lives?"

"Rainbow Dash, are you serious!?" Twilight exclaimed. "After what Belle just said!?"

"Hey, I'm just asking!" Rainbow argued. "We can head to A. K. Yearling's place and see if she needs anything we can do to help so she can continue writing. She can just say no, and we'd have the privilege of meeting the greatest author of the greatest book series ever."

"...Well...I guess I see your point..." The pegasus grinned, hearing Twilight admit she was right. "Let's see if we can find her address."

(End Kingdom Hearts II Lazy Afternoons)

----------------

After finding where the author lived, Twilight routed out a map and led her friends, Sora, Gene, Belle, Korrina and Lucario to the address. As they walked along, Pinkie took the rear, randomly smearing a trail of red paint behind their path from the library up to now in the middle of the forest a few miles away from Ponyville.

"Pinkie, just what exactly are you doing?" Sora asked.

"Well, duh! Everypony watching this is obviously going to stare at the map first, so I'm drawing out the route we're taking until it zooms in on me, showing them we're getting closer!" He was about to question what she was talking about, but decided to take her word for it, letting the random, silly earth pony do her thing.

"I think we might be getting close," Twilight said, looking up from the map. "If we keep following this path, we should find A. K. Yearling's home."

"Maybe we should have listened to Belle and given A. K. Yearling her privacy," Rarity said. "If she's this far away from any town, it's no wonder she-"

"I think I see the house!" Rainbow shouted, flying on ahead.

At the end of the road was the author's house, a simple looking stone cottage, though from some of the shattered windows and the broken door, it looked like someone had robbed the place. Not knowing if the robbing ponies that broke in were still around, Gene stepped up to the house first, carefully opening the door, which wound up falling off its hinges the moment he touched it. Inside was a lot worse, the whole house having been ransacked with various things flung across the floor and furniture flipped over.

"Wow. This place must have been robbed." Gene said. With the broken home secure, the others walked inside, examining the damage done to the place.

"Or maybe A. K. Yearling is a really big slob," Pinkie wondered as she touched some of the fallen items that belonged to the famous author.

"What if she got kidnapped!?" Rainbow asked, beginning to panic. "If she's been taken, or injured, she can't write anymore books! What about the sequel!?"

"What are all of you doing here?" Quickly turning to the front door, they saw a mare stand at the entryway.

It was hard to tell what she looked like, wearing a purple cloak that concealed her body, cutie mark, and tail, a hat on her head, and a pair of red glasses. She looked around at the intruding ponies who were in her home, though she looked at Sora a bit more before seeing the state of her home.

"Oh my gosh," Rainbow mumbled, lost in a state of awe as the mare walked inside. "A. K. Yearling?"

The pegasus stifled her squeal of excitement, officially meeting the author of the greatest adventure novel she had ever read, and the only novels she's ever read. "What did you do to my house?"

"Miss Yearling, we didn't do any of this," Sora said. "We found it like this, but we're glad you're-"

"They didn't find it, did they?" A. K. ignored the stallion as she began searching around her living room for something. While she flipped everything back in place to find what she was looking for, Rainbow Dash fidgeted in place, trying to keep calm around her favorite author. "Where is it?"

"Ok, I know this isn't the best time, but I'm a huge fan of your books, probably the biggest fan out of anypony." The mare continued to ignore them, finding what she needed under Rainbow's hooves.

Swiping the book from under the pegasus and tripping her up, A. K. held a red book with a golden horseshoe printed on the cover. Placing her hoof on it, she twisted the horseshoe to the side, not a picture, but a hidden mechanism. The book opened up, revealing a hollowed inside with a golden ring inside, the author breathing a sigh of relief as she held it out.

"Thank goodness," she said. "It's safe."

She flinched when she heard some books from her desk being shoved off, watching Rainbow Dash pushing her typewriter up. "Okay, you found what you were looking for. Now, how about writing that book?"

"Alright, Rainbow, get over here," Korrina scolded, pulling the pegasus's tail back harshly and away from the annoyed author. "Sorry about that, Miss Yearling. She's a really big fan of your stories, and unfortunately, she can get too excited when meeting her idols."

"Great. Now, if all of you don't mind, please leave my house. I have a lot of work to do." Gladly giving the mare her privacy, the group left her home, Korrina forcefully dragging Rainbow Dash out before she could complain.

As soon as they were far enough away from A. K. Yearling's property, Korrina dropped Rainbow's tail and leered at the mare. "You know, you kind of need to have more patience and restraint. You have a horrible habit of jumping the gun over something."

"But we met A. K. Yearling! I just wanted to know when the book was gonna be finished!" Sora growled, crossing his arms.

"And you're freaking out like an annoying fangirl who wants something a creator can't exactly make until it's truly finished," Sora argued.

"Rainbow Dash, do you remember Snips and Snails when they went crazy over Trixie the first time she came to Ponyville? You're acting exactly like them, and the more you worship her, you're only going to make things worse." Rarity said

"...But I'm not a fan of Trixie." The boy facepalmed, the ponies behind him groaning in exasperation.

"She's talking about your idolizing A. K. Yearling," Twilight said. "She doesn't want to be bothered when she works, so we have to respect her privacy."

"Yeah! And not like those stallions up on the roof!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" Sora looked up on the roof, spying a few shady stallions sneaking their way into the second floor window of the author's house. "Oh boy. Looks like the thieves decided to come back."

They raced back to the cottage and peered through the window, watching A. K. Yearling try to get her house back in order. Through the cracked mirror, she spotted the thugs sneaking up on her, quickly turning around and backing away from them. She wasn't at all scared of the intimidating stallions, quickly flicking off her clothing at them while keeping a hold of the gold ring she kept. To everyone's shock, underneath that outfit was Daring Do, exactly as she was described in the covers of her books.

"Oh my gosh!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"A. K. Yearling IS Daring Do!" Twilight finished, both fans even more excited at the strange twist.

"Wow! What a twist!" Pinkie said, holding her hooves up in a shrug.

Inside the cottage, Daring fought back against the stallions, trying to steal the ring from her. She was far more nimble and quicker than the earth pony bandits, using her environment to her advantage, keeping them far away from the possibly priceless artifact in her possession.

"Uhh, shouldn't we be helping her out?" Sora asked, the mares too enthralled with the action from the famous fictional character actually being a real pony, almost as if they were in one of her famous books. "Okay, I'LL help her out then!" He ran inside and joined in the fight, punching a stallion holding Daring Do as she struggled to keep the ring away from the others. He sent them both flying across the room, Daring dropping the ring as he picked it up, twirling it around in his hand as the other two thugs didn't expect her to have help. "Hasn’t anyone told you to NOT hit a lady?"

Elbowing the boy still grabbing her hard in the gut, Daring quickly stood up and leered at her guest. "What the hay are you doing!?"

"Saving you from getting mugged, 'Miss Author'." One of the thugs snapped out of their surprised daze, running at the teen to snatch the ring out of his hand, but Sora tossed it up and backflipped, kicking the stallion in the jaw and sending him flying back across the room.

Frustrated, Daring flew off and caught the ring, not appreciating his assistance. "I don't need your help!"

"Well, you looked like you needed it!" Sora argued, avoiding a punch from the other stallion, twisting his hand and turning him around, holding his limb tightly behind his back. "Three-on-one's a bit unfair, unless you know how to handle a situation like that!"

"I work alone," Daring grumbled, flying down to kick the thug Sora held hard in the stomach, throwing him behind her as she looked at the teen. "Leave now, or I'm going to kick your flank to Zebrica!"

"I'm just trying to help you out!" He quickly ducked as Daring attacked him. "Hey!"

"Get out of here before I-" Too distracted with the teen interfering, one of the thugs grabbed a hold of her and tossed her back.

Sora leapt into the scuffle as all five of them fought, kicking up dust and concealing all five of them in the cloud around them. The ring flew out from the brawling cloud of ponies, rolling up to the entrance where another earth pony stallion stood waiting, picking up the ring in his hoof. His coat was brown while his mane was black, though his tail had a dark stripe down the middle of the black hairs, wearing a light gray explorers jacket and a red and white-spotted neckerchief, his cutie mark a gold skull with ruby eyes.

During the fight, as Sora was about to strangle one of the stallions, one of them grabbed a frying pan and clonked him hard upside the head, knocking the teen out as he was more of a threat than Daring was. The mare was badly beaten, held down by one of the thugs as she looked up at the entrance to her home, glaring at the stallion smirking at them.

"Many thanks, Daring Do," he said. "We have been searching everywhere for this little treasure. So kind of you to find it for us."

"Give it back, Caballeron!" Daring warned, unable to escape from the heavier stallion's weight pressing her down.

"I don't think so." Caballeron looked over at the unconscious boy, recognizing his hairstyle and clothing. "Ah. So, you thought you could get some help from Equestria's little hero, eh?"

"I didn't hire him for anything," Daring growled. "Did A put you up for this? Stealing that ring from me to give to him so his hold on the Fortress of Talacon would be kept for eight centuries, as told in the prophecies of the temple!?"

"Very close, but no. I am going to sell this to him and retire from archaeology with the bits he'll offer." The stallion chuckled, putting the ring around his neck to hold onto.

"You're a fool!" Daring grunted as Caballeron's henchpony kicked her hard in the gut, keeping her immobilized as they made their leave. "You're...going to doom the valley to eight centuries...of sweltering heat!"

"So long, Daring Do!" Caballeron chuckled as they left.

While Sora woke up, shaking his head as he felt a headache and a bad bump on his noggin, and Daring Do struggling to get back up after the beating she took, the Mane Six finally decided to help them after getting too lost in the excitement through the window. "Oh, NOW you guys come to our rescue. Whoop de doo!"

“Sorry…” Belle chuckled nervously.

"I didn't...need...rescuing," Daring growled as she stood up. "I can take care of myself."

"If you didn't try to fight me, we could have handled those guys." Sora summoned his Keyblade, casting Curaga over them to heal their injuries.

The adventurous pegasus wasn't even phased by the magical healing flowers he summoned, or the giant key that appeared in his hand. "Well, no thanks to you, I need to get that ring back before those idiots cause several centuries worth of relentless heat waves."

As Daring Do began to walk out, she was surprised to feel barely any pain after getting beaten up. She shook her head and ran off to catch up with Caballeron and his goons before they met up with Ahuitzotl.

"You're welcome," Sora muttered.

"We have no choice but to help Daring Do now!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Rainbow Dash, she said she works alone!" Twilight reminded her as they began to leave Daring's home.

"Well, did you hear what she said about the Fortress of Talacon!?" Rainbow argued. "You know what's at stake here! A has sought control of the Tenochtitlan Basin since book three!"

"True, but in book four, she defeated A and secured control of the Amulet of Atonement, dispelling the dark magic of the Ketztwctl Empress, and thus protecting the basin with the Radiant Shield of Razdon!" Twilight countered, the others already getting lost with the lore of Daring Do's auto-biographical story, rather than a fictional novel.

"But the Radiant Shield of Razdon is vulnerable to the dark enchantment of the Rings of Scorchero!" Rainbow said.

"But are you forgetting that the Rings were scattered to the four corners of Tenochtitlan, thus rendering the dark enchantment powerless?" Twilight questioned, Pinkie the only one seeming to understand as she nodded her head, the others looking at each other in confusion.

"Only if you assume that the Rings have yet to be retrieved, and the ring Caballeron just stole isn't the last to completely restore the dark tower and its cruel hold on Tenochtitlan! Have you ever thought of that!?" Rainbow said.

"...Okay, I'm lost," Sora said. "The only thing I can get out of all that is Daring Do definitely needs our help, so I'm with Rainbow Dash on this. She can't handle that Caballeron guy, or whoever A is by herself."

"We have to get that ring back for Daring Do!" Rainbow exclaimed, glad to have Sora agree with her.

Twilight sighed, knowing it was the right thing to do since the fate of the world falling to centuries of a deadly heat wave could destroy Equestria. "Ok. We're going to need to plan ahead, figure out everything we need to know and who we're dealing with-"

"Twilight, Rainbow just flew off," Sora said, pointing in the direction the pegasus flew in. Twilight groaned in annoyance at their pegasus friend who always acts first and thinks last. "Me, Gene and Belle will go after her while the rest of you catch up."
Sora, Gene and Belle ran off and chased after Rainbow Dash before she winds up getting Daring Do more ticked off from having anyone interfering in her work.

—-------------

Deep in the woods, Daring Do snuck through the foliage in search of her archaeological rival and his henchponies to get the ring back. She hated how she had to be saved by a teenager several years younger than her when she could have handled them on her own. Of course, she knew who Sora was, but to have him come and help her like she was a damsel in distress wasn't necessary. At least she didn't find him as annoying as Rainbow Dash, always despising hearing so many fans of her tales constantly praise her while also begging for more stories of her life.

"Today is not my day," she mumbled, peeking through the bushes while keeping an eye out for Caballeron. "I can't exactly tell anypony I'm the author of my own stories, but now I got fanponies who found out my alias, and because of him interfering, I have to go and get that ring back."

"Rainbow Dash! Get back here!" Daring quickly hid behind cover, groaning in annoyance as she heard Sora's voice and knowing he and Rainbow Dash were tailing her.

"Hey, you agreed with me," the cyan mare said. "So, why should we stop when we're going to help THE Daring Do!?"

"For one-" Gene slapped Rainbow in the back of the head. "-you flew off before we even thought of a way to help her. Second, she is not going to appreciate you freaking out over her. She's like Celestia and Luna: they may be royalty, but they are still normal ponies, just with a title that tells them they're important. So, before you go into a full blown freakout and put her up on a pedestal like an ancient idol, calm yourself."

"But it's Daring Do! How can I not freak out about this!? I thought she was just a character, but she's real! I'm reading her life story, and it's far more awesome than-" She received another smack upside the head, the mare growling after having that happen for the fifth time today. "Will you cut that out!?"

"Are you going to praise Daring Do again?" Belle asked, Rainbow shaking her head. "Then I'm stopping."

"Perfect. These guys had to try to help me. I don't need any help." While Daring peeked around the tree she hid behind, she was unaware of a pair of yellow eyes peering at her through the shadows of the plants.

Slowly creeping their way out from the trees were a large pack of Heartless that looked like monkeys: there were a lot of them with blue fur, known as Powerwilds, and there were orange ones with a red bow on their heads and carried slingshots, called Bouncywilds. One of the Bouncywilds pulled up their slingshot and took aim, a small orb of energy forming at the end of the string ready to be fired. It shot and struck Daring in the back, making her grunt in surprise as she turned to face her opponents, immediately jumped on by the Powerwilds as they began scratching at her.

Daring tried to shake them off, but their claws gripped her tightly as she scrambled out of the bushes. Sora and Rainbow leapt back as they heard her stumble out, the Keyblade
Wielder and Gallade summoning their weapons to take out the annoying primate Heartless. All the Bouncywilds and some of the Powerwilds felt the Keyblade's presence and ran toward them, avoiding their wild fury of swipes and potshots as they made their way to Daring Do. Sora spun around and slapped the Powerwilds on the downed pegasus mare, lifting her up on his back.

"You could definitely use some help here," he said.

"I said I don't-" Daring yelped. Sora flipped away from a Powerwild, nearly thrusting its claws straight at her face. "Ok, maybe with these things."

"No problem." The Heartless surrounded the four, slowly prowling up to them. "Been a while since I fought you annoying monkeys. Let's see if you're as annoying as I remember." Sora looked up and spotted Rainbow Dash flying overhead, the Heartless too focused on him to notice her. "Okay, Daring Do, time to get high."

"Wait, you aren't gonna-?" Sora tossed Daring up in the air a little, her question turning to a yelp of surprise, the teen flipping onto his hands and pushing back against the mare with his legs as she landed on them, sending her flying up into the air toward Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow caught Daring, the pegasus giggling nervously as she was holding onto the adventurous mare, helping her stay out of harm's way. "Uhh, hi again."

Daring groaned in annoyance, unable to flap her wings after the amount of damage the Powerwilds did to her backside and having no choice but to be carried by the squeamish fan. She looked down and watched as Sora, Gene and Belle fought off the Heartless down below, their movements swift and accurate as she saw the hearts being released from the dark primates. Even with the Bouncy Wilds randomly running around and shooting at him from afar with their slingshots, he was able to avoid each shot along with the Power Wilds trying to claw at him. Daring began to regret not asking for his help if he really was as good as the news said he was.

Sora had a much easier time dealing with these Heartless after his first trek through the Jungle world, now more experienced and a lot quicker than before. Even as they avoided each thrust, he tricked them by spinning around and slashing them in his recovery. He avoided the banana peels the Bouncywilds threw around to try and slip him up, throwing them around when he was near one to get them tripped up by the slippery skin. Within no time, they destroyed each Powerwild and shot down the Bouncy Wilds that kept fleeing from him with either magical spells or Shadow Ball. Sora looked around, finding no more Heartless hiding in the bushes or trees.

"Okay! Coast is clear!" Sora called out, Rainbow gently bringing Daring Do down to the ground. As she winced in pain, the stallion cast a Cure spell, the mare now paying attention to the healing bell flowers sprinkling green energy down on her. As it touched her, her pain was gone, just like before in her shambled home. "Feeling better, Miss Yearling?"

"It's Daring Do right now," she said, not exactly happy for the save, but grateful. "Thanks, I guess."

"You guess? Do you know who just saved your life!?" Rainbow asked, highly surprised at Daring's attitude.

"I know who he is. All of Equestria does," she said. "I thought he was just a dumb kid getting in my way, but he's the real deal."

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed, taking offense to Daring's comment.

"I mean no offense. But if you're like me, you'll know plenty of die hard fans who try to do everything the ponies they idolize do, even going as far as to dress like you and pretend to be you." She looked at Rainbow Dash, sneering at her as she saw the glint of fandom in her eyes. "Or have annoying fans constantly getting in your way when there are important matters to deal with."

"Yeah, Rainbow's a big fan of your work, and it's hard for someone like her not to freak out over someone they look up to."

"Anyway, thanks for saving me from those...odd looking monkeys, but I have a dirty thief to catch."

"Wait, we can help!" Rainbow offered, but Daring stuck her hoof in the mare's mouth.

"I. Work. Alone." The cyan mare's ears drooped, but Sora stepped in, taking Daring's hoof out of his disappointed friend's mouth.

"Yeah, I think you do need help," he said. "Whatever's going on, you'll at least need our help taking on Caballeron."

Daring opened her mouth to argue on the matter, but seeing how many of her enemies are working together to make a disaster happen within the temple, she may need some backup. "...Well, it seems like I may need some assistance. You can help when I need it." She pointed at Rainbow Dash, who was grinning ear to ear as she was asking for help. "You go back home."

"What!? Why!? I want to help too!" Rainbow whined.

"That's why. There are some people that I can't trust." Daring leered at her. "Fans like you I can't trust. My work involves secrets, and mysterious, and a lot of dangerous traps that could get anyone else killed. I can't trust you to keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way." Rainbow whimpered, begging for Sora to do something, but if Daring didn't want her help, he had no choice but to comply since he had proof of his skills from before and fighting the Heartless just now. "We gotta catch up to Caballeron and his goons before A does. Let's go, guys."

Daring walked on ahead as Rainbow pouted. "Sorry, Rainbow. Maybe she'll warm up to you once you finally stop worshiping her and treat her like an individual." Sora said, hurrying after Daring Do, leaving the pegasus alone, looking down at the ground in disappointment.

—-------------

As it turned late in the night, Sora, Gene, Belle and Daring spotted Caballeron and his group at a camp they set up, the fireplace burning brightly in the darkness. The two pegasi hid in the bushes as they spied on them, far enough away to avoid getting caught.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Gene asked.

"I'm going to see if I can barter with Caballeron and buy back the ring while disguised." Daring Do found a small pit of mud, smearing some of it on her face. She grabbed a bunch of loose leaves that had fallen from the trees, attaching them to her muddy face as makeshift glue, making a fake beard. For added effect, she smushed her helmet to make it look like a flatter cap to avoid being recognized. "Okay. How do I look?"

"...Like a mare pretending to be an old stallion," Sora commented. "Are you sure this will work?"

"I don't like gambling, but I'm betting on it." She stepped out to confront her rival in her disguise while the three watched from a distance, ready to pounce if things went sour.

"Hey, what's going on?" The three had to stifle their yelps, quickly turning around to see Rainbow Dash behind them.

Gene quickly grabbed her, slamming her down behind the bushes before her rainbow hair and loud mouth blew their cover. "What are you doing here!?"

"I'm here to help Daring Do," she whispered, Gene silencing the frustrated groan he wanted to make from the mare's insistence to help.

"Daring is going to be really ticked off if she sees you here! Just find the others and stay with them!" Sora looked through the bushes, making sure the plan was going along smoothly, which was surprisingly working as Cabelleron began to take the bag of bits Daring Do was offering.

"Caballeron!" Suddenly, appearing from the foliage on the other side of the camp was a strange creature Sora had never seen before.

It was an odd being that Discord could have come up with if he was lazy enough with his creative genius. He, from the sound of his roaring and menacing voice, was an odd mix between a canine and an ape, his eyes more close to his nose with his dog-like head, wearing a tribal necklace around his neck, ape-like paws for his hands, and a hand on the tip of his tail that functioned like a real hand, his entire body covered in a weird red armor.

"What in the name of Arceus is that thing???" Gene asked.

"That's A! Awesome!" Rainbow squealed, the Gallade quickly shoving his hand in her mouth to keep her from giving away their position.

"Hand me the ring now!" A commanded. Before the thieving archaeologist stallion could give the ring to him, Daring shook off her disguise as she snatched the ring from Caballeron. A roared in frustration as she slashed his hands at the mare, avoiding his swipe as she backed away while Caballeron and his men took the money and fled. "Daring Do. Hand me the ring. Now!"

Seeing she was in trouble, Sora came through the bushes and snatched Daring Do off her hooves before A slammed his fists down on her. "Sorry, you Aztec weirdo! In order to get the ring, you have to propose to a mare properly before you earn it!"

In the bushes, Rainbow smirked at Sora's mocking statement, even making Daring grin a little. "I was gonna say that."

"So, you actually decided to bring that brat of a hero to help you in your fights, eh, Daring Do?" Sora lowered Daring back on her hooves as he summoned his Keyblade. "Well, I'm not one without my own minions."

A snapped his fingers on his tail, calling forth his minions: dangerous felines. There was a tiger, a lynx, a leopard, a panther, and a small kitten. The last one made Sora stare at the white cat in confusion, then a snicker, and finally bursting out laughing.

"A-Are you serious!?" he asked as he struggled to breathe. "One of your minions...is a kitten!?" The kitten hissed angrily and ran at Sora, Daring backing away from the stallion as the small feline charged at him. "What's it gonna do? Meow me to-" The small minion leapt onto Sora's face and scratched at him repeatedly. "AHHHH! Get it off! Get it off! It's trying to scratch my eyes!"

"I should have warned him." Daring watched as Sora flailed around, trying to pull the small kitten off his face, but its claws clung on to him as it attacked him.

"Get them!" A commanded, sending his other feline minions after them.

Sora managed to pry the kitten off his face, throwing it far away from him, scratch marks lined all over his head. "Okay. Never trust cats ever again. Should have learned that after meeting Pete." He heard two roars from two of the cats, the tiger and leopard running at him. "Oh crud." He brought his Keyblade up, blocking the tiger's jaws as it tackled him to the ground. The leopard growled at him, holding a claw up to scratch at him while he was pinned. "Deja vu with a leopard. Good thing you aren't related since I did kill it after it kept attacking me so many times."

While he dealt with his dangerous cats, along with the kitten that attacked him earlier, Daring Do was holding her own against the panther and lynx, avoiding their pounces and kicking them hard in the face. Sora managed to pry the tiger off of him, blocking the leopard from scratching at him before flipping back up and smacking it up in the air with his Keyblade. As the two pegasi dealt with the attacking felines, Rainbow Dash watched in awe, but wanting to do something to help. She noticed Daring's pith helmet laying against the ground, having been tossed aside as the mare dropped her disguise.

The cyan pegasus ran up to it and picked it up, doing the dumbest thing possible by revealing herself. "Hey, Daring Do, I got your helmet!" Rainbow calling out to Daring alerted A, the dog-like being grinning as the defenseless pegasus was too entranced by getting his enemy's attention. "You want me to toss it!?"

Sora shoved the tiger and leopard off of him, seeing Rainbow Dash out in the open. "Oh for goodness sake, Rainbow-"

The kitten leapt off on a hill tall enough to land on the teen, slamming a rock down hard on his head and knocking the stallion unconscious. Satisfied at taking down his target, the small cat scuffed some dirt on his face and focused on Daring Do. The mare finally noticed Rainbow Dash, now caught in A's tail hand, holding her hostage. Grumbling angrily, not wanting her to get hurt, the mare surrendered, dropping the ring as the cats tied her and Sora up.

"Hang on, Daring Do! I'll help you!" A flung the pegasus into the woods, having caught Daring and her new helper, his minions carrying the captured boy and author as they began heading off to a temple not far from where they were.

"Don't bother!" she shouted. "I'd say you helped out plenty!"

Hearing her favorite explorer say that to her so coldly made Rainbow depressed, her attempt to help only doing nothing but causing more trouble. And now that she got Sora captured as well, they were both going to be put in a death trap because she was so caught up in her excitement as a fan. What he said to her earlier about putting Daring up so high on a pedestal came back to her, and she realized that she was putting herself down because she was better than anything else. She was worshiping her too much and forgot about her own abilities and self-esteem. Snapping out of her attitude, she leered at the temple and flew off toward it, this time actually helping to save her idol, her friend, and the world from eight centuries of sweltering heat.

—-------------

Sora groaned as he stirred awake, unable to move his mouth from the gag that was placed on him. He opened his eyes, looking at A upside down, his legs tied to a chain hanging from the rafters from inside the temple. He tried to move his arms, but they were tied up as well. There was no way he would be able to escape without the use of any of his limbs to call his Keyblade and break free, the evil canine-ape creature knowing a thing or two how he summons his weapon.

He looked up as he heard Daring grunting, finding her trapped as well. Her hooves were bound to stone restraints attached to the wall, and below them was a pit of water with piranhas jumping up, trying to sink their sharp jaws into their meals hanging teasingly above them. Sora was half expecting a sea-bearing crocodile that made ticking sounds like a clock instead, though seeing how cliche it seemed for a villain to trap their foes in an "inescapable" death, he knew they were going to break out at some point.

"You'd better surrender, A!" Daring warned as she struggled to pull her hooves out from her restraints, but the villain only laughed in amusement.

"Oh, how I will miss your amusing little quips, Daring Do. But now, I must leave to commence the ring-placing ceremony to unleash eight hundred years of unrelenting, sweltering heat!" A laughed harder, pulling on a chain beside him that caused the pit beneath them to fill up with more water, bringing the piranhas closer to them.

As soon as he left, a big mistake on any villain to leave their enemies alone as they are about to die, Daring pulled harder on her restraints. "I can't believe she followed us out here! Now, no thanks to her, A's going to succeed and doom this valley, and all of Equestria! But I'm not going to let that happen, not until I die!"

She pulled hard, pulling out the slabs her bindings were attached to. She released one of her hind legs, then another, and barely managed to pull out one of her forelegs. The water was rising fast and her three free limbs were weighed down by the heavy stone slabs she pulled out, and she was already exhausted from trying to break free. She couldn't even move her other foreleg out from the strain of the weights attached to her freed hooves.

She flinched as she prepared to get eaten, slowly feeling the last slab slowly slipping out, unable to escape from this trap unlike the many others she was able to get out from. Sora worried she wouldn't make it, but his saving grace came from a rainbow and two green blurs swooping down through the skylight, with Gene cutting the bindings of his arms with his arm blades. As he dropped from his position, he quickly summoned his Keyblade, swinging it down to slice through the chain to free his legs, holding it in his hand and aiming down at the water. He cast a Blizzaga spell, freezing all the water coming in from the pipe and below them, landing on the very thick ice with a thud as he watched the piranha bumping into the frozen surface.

Now freed, Sora pulled out the cloth in his mouth and dashed toward Daring, the mare slipping off to fall and crash through the ice, but was saved by him before the stone restraints cracked the ice and sent her down to a watery grave. He carried the adventurous mare and the extra weight of the stone slabs connected to her hooves up on the ledge where A stood, Gene, Belle and Rainbow Dash standing there waiting for them with her makeshift dagger in her mouth.

Now back on solid ground, Daring slammed her hooves down onto the floor, smashing her restraints and freeing her hooves. "I understand why you two are here, but why are YOU here?"

"We just saved both of your flanks, and you're going to thank me like that?" Rainbow questioned.

"I told you I work alone," Daring reminded.

"Well, I don't," Rainbow argued. "And you were working with Sora, Gene and Belle. So explain that."

The archaeologist was about to argue, but without her saving both her and Sora, they both would have wound up fish food. "...Alright...I guess I can't escape every single trap I wind up in...or take down my foes single-hoofedly every time. So, thanks. All of you."

"Ok, can we make up after we stop eight centuries of a relentless heat wave and a psychotic villain dumb enough to do this and leave his victims alone to their deaths without making sure they stay dead and not escape." Both mares blushed at the comment Gene made, nodding their heads as they made their way out of the death room and into the temple.

After navigating through the corridors, the five of pegasi found the room where the ceremony was about to take place. Standing along the pathway were tribal stallions holding spears, and on the other side of the room were a stack of golden rings, stacked from biggest to smallest around a totem with unreadable inscriptions. At the end of the room was a strange glowing object on a pillar. A cackled, holding the last ring and was about to place it down to complete the ritual. Sora quickly flung his Keyblade using Strike Raid, sending the weapon spiraling like a blade, knocking the ring out of his hand, clattering to the ground far from the ape-dog villain.

"What!?" he exclaimed in shock, Sora flying in and kicking A in the face, sending him into the wall.

"I object!" Sora shouted. "This celebration is canceled!"

A sat up, rubbing his head as he gawked in shock. "H-How did you escape!? There was no way you or Daring Do could have gotten out!"

"Well, if you bothered to stick around and see us die, then that would have worked." Sora called his Keyblade back in his hand, pointing it at the angered villain. "Now it's time to take you and your little minions down, Fido."

The stallions let out a battle cry and charged after Sora, along with his feline minions.

Gene held up his Sword, blocking the little kitten that was about to lunge at his face. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." The cat's claws struck his blade, quickly flipping rapidly in midair as Gene flicked his weapon to parry. "Bad kitty!"

He stepped forward and unleashed a shockwave, sending the cat and the other stallions flying back. A growled and leapt toward him, joining the fight using his own claws and extended arm of a tail. While Sora, Gene and Belle distracted the baddies, Rainbow and Daring snuck around the battlefield and reached the golden rings.

"We have to get this large ring at the bottom out," Daring explained. "If we can pull this off, then the whole temple will collapse."

"This was your plan?" Rainbow asked out of curiosity, both mares taking off the smaller rings, but needing both their strength to pull off the larger ones.

"Well, I had to find some way to get into the fortress without sounding an alarm." Rainbow Dash nearly dropped a medium sized ring they were pulling off, surprised to hear that the daring Daring Do wanted to get caught.

"Wait, you wanted to be captured!?" she asked. "What about Sora!?"

"I didn't exactly tell him all of my plan." Both mares grunted, pulling off another ring as they flapped their wings hard to lift it off over the totem. "I figured he'd go along with whatever I did, but having him knocked out by that cat wasn't what I had in mind. Plus-" They both strained to pull off the second to last ring, each one getting heavier and heavier the bigger the rings were. "-I didn't count on how heavy these things were."

Back in the battle, A thrust his tail forward, Sora quickly dodging as he latched onto it tightly. "How about a little do-se-do!?" He yelped as the teen pulled hard and began swinging him around, smacking the villainous creature into his minions. "Swing your pardner, round and round! Fling 'em up-" Sora flicked A up, smacking him into the ceiling and dazing him. "-then slam 'em down!"

With a hard tug, he sent A slamming down hard into the stone floor. With the boss knocked out, all that was left were the annoying cohorts following their leader's orders.

"Blizzard!" Twilight's voice rang out, a blast of ice soaring past Sora's head as the spell struck one of the stallions, encasing him in ice. He looked behind him, seeing the rest of their friends finally caught up as they ran into the room, helping distract the minions. "Sora, are you alright?"

"Perfect!" he said as he pumped his hand in the air. "Though, can you aim a few yards away from the back of my head when you shoot magic? Don't want to be burnt to a crisp...Or wind up like that guy."

"Duly noted." The alicorn yelped as a tribal stallion thrust his spear at her, quickly blocking it and sending him flying back with a blast of her magic. She then froze, staring at the object on the pillar, ‘No way, a Flame Clock?!’

Meanwhile, Rainbow and Daring managed to get the second to last one out, but the final ring was too heavy for both of them to lift. He helped them out, giving them the extra muscle they needed to pull it out. As soon as they hoisted the large ring up, the temple began to shake, needing just this last ring to destroy this place. A sat up with a groan, his body sore, especially around his head and tail. He felt the ground quake and looked over at the totem, his jaw dropping as the two pegasi were pulling the last ring out of place.

"STOP THEM!" he shouted, winding up biting his tongue as Pinkie Pie bounced on his head.

Rainbow, and Daring flapped their wings as hard as they could and lifted with all their might. With one last push, they tossed the ring away from the totem, the shaking growing wild as the temple began to collapse. Not needing to be told, Twilight created a large barrier to shield them from the falling rumble. When the rumbling stopped, everyone sighed as they saw the temple collapsed and everyone safe, ending another attempt from Daring Do's arch enemy using ancient magics to destroy or take over Equestria.

Or so they thought.

"It’s over, A! You lost!" Daring Do shouted.

A said nothing, as he began to chuckle, before bursting into full out laughter, which confused everyone. Before the others could say a word, they went quiet as they saw A begin to glow with sparks of purple light. As the light was drawn into him, it then revealed a massive creature standing in his place, taking a similar appearance to the Moebius they had encountered before, though seemed injured.

(Play Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Moebius Boss Theme)

“He’s transformed?!” Sora exclaimed in shock.

“He looks exactly like that monster!” Korrina yelled in anger as everyone stared in shock while getting into a defensive position, seeing the infinity symbol glow within the being’s right eye.

“Moebius…” Gene muttered, as his sword began to vibrate softly and glow an otherworldly light towards the Moebius.

The Moebius then moved closer towards the Flame Clock, which was somehow perfectly intact, and slowly raised his arms. As he did so, the life within it could be seen shining from the clock, and into him. Continuing to consume its remaining lifeforce, the minions surrounding them fell to the ground as their life force was shortly drained from their bodies. The area was now becoming a feast of blood for the Moebius, as he continued to drain the minion’s lives. Seeing him do so, the group stared at the scene before them in horror, while watching the dying minions twitch on the ground.

"No way…He's stealing from the Flame Clock?" Twilight could hardly watch the Moebius steal their life force, while the Moebius could only only help but cackle gleefully.

"My dear princess," The Moebius then carefully approached the group, filled with ecstasy from the life he had stolen. "Your vaunted intuition… couldn’t be more wrong!" He then pummeled his fist into the ground, with the great force knocking them backwards. As they got back on their feet, they all began their attempts to attack the Moebius. However, his wounds only continued to heal from the life had stolen. "I'm not 'stealing' from them, as I, a Moebius, have the rights to do whatever I please with the Flame Clock. You may resume attacking me, but I'm afraid I shall not fall. Take your best shot at me, if you dare!" With their efforts being in vain, the group stood back as they continued to watch the Moebius further drain the rest of the minion’s life force. They couldn't continue fighting like this, as the Moebius would defeat them in no time. Nearly being buried around the various rubble, they helplessly stood in place as they tried to think of another plan.

Continuing to watch lives get drained away, Gene noticed the Flame Clock at the corner of his eye. The clock only had a small sliver of light left within it, and it would be a matter of time before it depleted.

“Twilight, what happens if that thing goes out?!” Gene asked.

“Then those connected to it… will die.” Twilight said, worried.

“Stop attacking! Guys!” Sora shouted.

“You must be joking!” Korrina said, shooting an Aura Sphere. “If we stop now, he’ll take us out!”

“But…”

“Wake up, Sora! They're not his minions anymore! They’re his fuel now!” Lucario yelled, dodging an attack.

“Even so…” Sora said, as Gene continued to think. He knew that the Moebius depended on the Flame Clock in order to keep fighting them. If they managed to destroy the clock, he would surely be defeated for good.

"Did you think of something?" Belle noticed how he was deep in thought, with her wondering why he had been so quiet. She nudged him gently, with him shortly turning to her.

"I did, but it's a dangerous risk to take." He replied. "What if we managed to destroy the Flame Clock, in order to take out the Moebius? It could end up killing his minions, but there's no way of telling that it will."

"Destroy the Flame Clock? It's risky, but if it's the only way to take him out, let's do it." With her approval, Gene advised the others to avert their attention to him. They turned to him intently, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"What do you have in mind, Gene?" Twilight asked.

"We're going to destroy the Flame Clock, while you guys distract him. Does that sound like a plan?" Genereplied.

"Wait, you're really going to destroy the clock?" Twilight asked, staring at him in shock. "If you do, then these ponies will-"

"It's the only way we'll get out of here alive. The two of us will head towards the clock, while the rest of you continue to distract the Moebius. I'll count to three, then we'll charge towards him."

"Got it. After all, I think someone deserves a good beating!" Sora readied his Keyblade, while the others nodded in reply to the plan. He began to count to three, with them readying themselves once more. As he reached three, they all charged towards the center of the battlefield. With the others continuing to attack the Moebius, Gene advised Belle to follow him. They shortly reached the clock looming over them from above. Merging into their Interlinked Form, They quickly sank their dual edged weapon into the clock. However, the two were taken back as it didn't even make a mere dent in the clock. Managing to find the two, the Moebius laughed at their failed attempt.

"Oh, such naivety! I very much admire your determination, Ouroboros." He began. "However, the Flame Clock is life itself! I doubt it'll break that easily, will it? I appreciate you all showing yourselves, as it'll only assist me further!" Lifting himself into the air, the Moebius continued to fire a variety of lightning strikes down onto the battlefield, with them annihilating parts of the ground below. The Ouroboros continued to attack him, while barely managing to dodge his attacks in the process. With Gene still determined to smash the Flame Clock, he suddenly unlocked a memory within his thoughts.

“The sheath acts as a disguise, to hold back its power, though it is still very effective against Heartless. However, if ever against Moebius and needs its true strength, it is only a matter of drawing. Only then will its true power be unleashed.”

‘If it really can rival the X-Blade…’ Gene thought, before getting an idea, “Belle, try again! Cancel the Interlink after we jump!" Gene shouted.

“What’s the plan?” Belle asked.

“The time has come to show are sword’s true power!”

Receiving her approval, they lunged towards the Moebius and gave him a swift blow to his chest. With the blow knocking them back, the two took the opportunity to cancel their Interlink.

“Your Interlink. But why?” The Moebius asked.

As they were nearing closer towards the clock, Gene then drew his blade. Grabbing the handle of his blade, the outer shell of his blade formed a red gauntlet around his left arm. The true sword was a long, silver blade with a black handle on the bottom. Wielding the fabled blade within his right hand, Belle grabbed his left hand as they were about to fall. As they fell further in the air, Gene stabbed the Flame Clock's center with his sword. With metal managing to slice through the center, the clock was further drained of its remaining life. A sea of blood red lifeforce was released into the air, disappearing as it hit the ground below.

"I-Impossible! The Flame Clocks cannot be broken! Just who are these people?!" The Moebius was stunned at the sight of mere mortals slicing the Flame Clock, with him shortly falling towards the ground below. They were designed to be indestructible, but the Gallade’s sword had proven otherwise.

(End Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Moebius Boss Theme)

While kneeling on the ground, he felt the lifeforce he had stolen from his minion’s drain from his body. As it did so, he screamed as he felt the excruciating pain shorten his own lifeforce. "N-Noooo! All I wanted was to play around just a little more!" He wailed, trying to get back on his feet. "No! I don't want to die!!" Shortly after his remaining life had drained, the Moebius disappeared within the same light he had used to transform with. In his place, A's body laid lifelessly on the ground.

"Is everyone alright?" Gene asked, with them managing to catch up with the others. He hadn't been able to redraw the sword ever since withdrawing it from his outer blade, but he figured that the time would eventually come again.

"I think they're fine." Belle replied. Seeing the others unhurt, he then knew that the answer was quite obvious. "I can't believe we all managed to actually pull that off!"

"Yeah, we're all fine." Sora smiled. "You guys look alright, too." They then noticed A's body lying nearby, with it invoking uneasy feelings within them.

"That guy was just playin' around, wasn't he?" Lucario asked, staring at the body. "Let's take a peek at this guy’s face." They then approached the body, with him kneeling over the A. The others were unwilling to go near it, leaving him to do the honors. "How'd you get this thing off? It's stuck on tight!" Feeling the back of A's helmet, his finger felt a small button further below. As he clicked the button, the mask soon revealed the villain's face.

“So this is what he really looks like.” Daring Do said. “Always wondered what was underneath that mask of his.”

While they continued to stare at him, A’s body had begun to fade within motes of blue light. His motes flew past them as they floated further into the sky, with a mote brushing over Gene. The mote had echoed A's dying words.

"No! I don't want to die!!"

Although the A had done many horrible things to them, Gene took out his flute without any reconsideration. Seeing that he was going to play for the Moebius, the others stared at him in disbelief.

"Nope, you aren't doing that!" Korrina placed a paw on the flute, preparing to swipe it from him. "You aren't sending him on! Do you even realize how wrong that is?!"

“You think so?” Gene asked.

“How do you not…?!” Korrina said dumbfounded, not prepared for his reply. “Think about the things this guy did!”

“He tried to kill us all, and rob his own minions of their life!” Twilight added.

“You’re right. Both of you are right. But still, we chose to fight, and kill him. We have to atone for that.” Gene said, before holding out his flute and about to play. Lifting the flute to his lips, he began to play his tune.

(Play Xenoblade Chronicles 3 A Life Sent On)

The sound of the melody echoed throughout the area, much to the disapproval of the others.

“Sometimes I hate it when he’s right.” Korrina sighed in defeat.

As he continued to play, Belle could only watch him play. She dreaded the fact of playing for the being that tried to kill them, but noticed how his motes were the same as the ones belonging to were being sent on. Being an off-seer herself, she shortly took out her own flute and played alongside him. With the two off-seer tunes playing at once, the sky was now filled with a sea of blue motes, while surrounding the others. Moebius's body had disappeared for good, marking the start of his journey back to the afterlife.

Daring pulled Rainbow Dash and Sora to the side, honestly unable to pull off this adventure without them. "Couldn't have done all this without you guys. Thanks you guys."

Beaming widely, Rainbow rammed into Daring Do and caught her in a hug. Sora shook his head, still behaving like a fangirl even after acting normal around her favorite author/character when they stopped A. Daring grinned nervously, not really expecting a hug, patting the mare on the head.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash. Enough trying to live out a fantasy with Daring." Rainbow blushed heavily, leering at Sora as she pulled away, the teen grinning as he teased her.

"Well, after all this much fun, I've got an incredibly exciting book to finish," the mare said. "And I found myself a perfectly good twist in mind. But you guys need to keep my identity a secret while I'm A. K. Yearling. Got that?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Rainbow said excitedly.

"Good." Daring approached Sora and whispered to him out of Rainbow's hearing. "You will make sure she doesn't tell anypony, right?"

"Don't worry. We won't blow your cover," Sora promised.

Daring Do flew off, waving to her surprisingly new friends and headed back home to continue writing her latest expedition/"fictional" story.

Seeing that they had done their purpose, the off-seers ceased their playing.

(End Xenoblade Chronicles 3 A Life Sent On)

They knew what they had done was considered wrong, but the two had no regrets. Even if he was a Moebius, he was once a person just like them.

"Strange, isn't it?" Gene commented, watching the remainder of the motes disappear into the sky. "It's odd how we both played for him, despite what he had done to us. I can't help but feel sorry for him, though."

"Me too," She replied, while putting her flute away. "But, it's our purpose as off-seers. No matter who they are, it's always our duty to send off the departed." As they watched the motes, the others continued to stare at them. Although some of them didn't approve of what they had done, they understood why the two did so.

Author's Note:

Starting off 2023 with a new chapter. Happy New Year!

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Comments

[nightshroud96]

Interesting take on the Books episode.

Though where was Spike?
I know he was missing in the actual episode(left out hard by the girls AGAIN) but he could have been here in this fic's take on the episode.